Paul Hammel / World-Herald Bureau wrote:LINCOLN — Quietly, over the last few months, the National Park Service has been working to buy Rocky Ford, an iconic stretch of white-water rapids on the scenic Niobrara River.

But the purchase — designed to provide public access for kayakers and canoers and possibly establish a public park — has been put on hold after an emphatic rejection by local officials, as well as questions from the state’s congressional delegation.